Reliability and validity testing of Chinese version of Quality of Life in Adult Cancer Survivors scale

Abstract

Objective To test the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Quality of Life in Adult Cancer Survivors (QLACS) in Chinese cancer Survivors. Methods We translated the scale following the procedure of translation, integration and back translation. After modifying the scale and adapting it in Chinese culture, the reliability and validity of the QLACS scale was tested in a large sample of 222 cancer survivors. Results The Chinese version of QLACS had 47 items with a total of twelve domains. Principal component analysis resulted in an 8-factor structure of the explaining 74.393% of the seven generic domains′ variance, and an 5-factor structure of the explaining 71.937% of the five cancer-specific domains′ variance. The item level content validity index (I-CVI) was 0.89-1.00, and the total content average content validity index (S-CVI/) was 0.93. The Cronbach′s α coefficient for the total QLACS score was 0.935, and 0.933 for generic domains, and 0.865 for cancer-specific domains. Conclusions The Chinese version of QLACS appears to possess adequate validity, reliability and internal consistency. The newly translated Chinese version of QLACS may be used to assess the quality of cancer survivors in China. Key words: Cancer Survivors; Quality of Life; Evaluation; Scale; Reliability and Validity